E3 2014: Big changes are coming to Assassin's Creed Unity

Assassin's Creed Unity wowed us in both Microsoft and Ubisoft's Press Conference. We saw the main character descend from buildings, run through interiors, weave through a bustling crowd and assassinate high ranking officials. But what is it about Unity that makes it a completely new experience, and not just the same old Assassin's Creed we've been playing for years now. Apparently, Ubisoft has the answers.

Unity is running on a brand new engine, specifically for next-gen consoles and PCs. That's right, this game won't be available on last-gen systems. Creative Director Alex Amancio “So this is what Unity is. It’s not a reboot. It is a reinvention of Assassin’s Creed for this next generation.”

The parkous is getting an overhaul as well, allowing players to now navigate down buildings, instead of always jumping into stacks of hay. That sense of movement is actually accentuated by the fact that all buildings are built to a 1:1 scale. That means some will have to get over their fear of heights.

Players now have the option to go into a Stealth Stance, which will dramatically change the gameplay. Previous games allowed stealth only in certain situations, like in bushes for instance. Now, players will be able to enter into this stance and stalk their prey way more effectively.

On the combat side, enemies are now a little tougher and a lot smarter, meaning button mashing will no longer work, and will require players to come equipped with all the right tools for the situation, and utilize smart tactics.

Missions are also getting quite an overhaul, and will now adapt to the players gameplay. Previously, failing to tail a target would result in a failed mission, but in Unity, the game will adapt and present different ways for the player to still achieve his goal. Whether it's finding a different NPC that can tell you your tails location, or perhaps chasing him down once he spots, or even looting his dead corpse as a result of a riot. The game won't penalize you for doing things your way anymore.

Of course, we all know by now that Unity is set in Paris during the French Revolution, and the city will be absolutely enormous, and apparently bigger than any Assassin's Creed city before that. Aside from the 1:1 scale landmarks players will be able to scale, interiors will now be explorable, all without a single loading screen. The city streets can showcase up to 5,000 NPCs on screen, as opposed to 150 in previous games. The Catacombs of Paris will also be fully explorable.

But one of the bigger surprises to Unity was the introduction to co-op, into the actual game world. Players will be able to team up with three other players, four total, and complete story missions in the same game world they've explored in their single player campaign.

The game will also include a present day scenario, but Ubisoft has kept quiet about it thus far, but Amancio did say this, “It’s very different than anything you’ve seen in any of the past games, Black Flag was different. This is more different.”

You can get your hands on Assassin's Creed Unity on October 28th, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.